“LocalBTV” Creator Didja Raises $12 Million in New Funding

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Dec. 19, 2017 — Didja, a technology company dedicated to augmenting the television experience in delightful ways, has secured an additional $12 million in funding, bringing the total capital raised to $22 million to date. The round was led by Vestech Partners, a private equity investment group, in addition to other angel investors and family offices. Much of the funds will be used to support the expansion of the company's LocalBTV app, which gives viewers mobile access to local broadcast antenna programming, to new markets, with Los Angeles availability expected for early 2018.

Earlier this year, Didja launched LocalBTV, the first and only app to bring access to local broadcast TV programming to viewers in one seamless mobile experience. LocalBTV is available in Phoenix, AZ and in the greater San Francisco Bay Area, where BayAreaBTV is enhancing the local broadcast TV experience for an estimated 2.7 million households in the 11-county region. Currently, BayAreaBTV has 35 local channels and is continuing to expand its offering regularly.

“Consumers have more TV viewing options than ever before and are finding local broadcast TV to be a fun and casual way to enjoy live TV along with their other viewing options like network direct to consumer apps such as Univision NOW or CBS All Access,” said Jim Long, CEO of Didja. “Our users are delighted with the LocalBTV app and this round of funding will allow us to fill out that offering by adding network affiliates and expanding to many more cities in the next two years.”

“Didja's LocalBTV gives independent stations and national networks alike access to untapped revenue streams by reaching in-market antenna audiences on any mobile device,” said Riadh Fakhoury, founder of Vestech Partners. “Engaging new audiences, like smartphone viewing Millennials, is obviously a huge win for broadcast stations and networks. But the most immediate beneficiaries are underserved households, including a diverse array of bilingual families, who now have access to local and community programming, as well as DVR and channel guide capabilities. We're thrilled to be a part of the growth of a media company dedicated to improving and opening up access to broadcast media to more households in every metro area across the United States.”

The LocalBTV app can be downloaded in the iTunes store here and Google Play store here.

Didja is based in the heart of Silicon Valley and specializes in consumer apps that help users engage with live linear television. The Didja hybrid cloud platform is also designed to help broadcasters, networks and content owners expand their revenues while both delighting their fans and enabling a more direct consumer relationship. Please see www.didjatv.com for more information.

Sarah Thompson

Sarah is a financial reporter, focusing on technology, national security, and policing. Before joining Daily Telescope she worked as a staff writer at Fast Company and spent two years as a foreign correspondent in Turkey. Her work has been published in Al Jazeera America, The Nation, Vice News, Motherboard, and many other outlets.